Master of Science in Infectious Disease

About the Program

Master of Science: 36.0 semester credits

The MS in Infectious Disease is designed to train graduate students in various aspects of research related to infectious disease. Students will learn about research and development relevant to new diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to prevent and/or treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, malaria, and many other viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal pathogens.

Special attention will be given to the study of:

• therapeutic and vaccine target identification;
• drug and vaccine discovery and development;
• resistance mechanisms and immune escape mechanisms during the course of treatment.

The program encompasses two years of required and elective courses and a comprehensive research internship completed during the course of the training period. The internship will require three laboratory rotations, focusing upon different areas of research in infectious diseases:

• basic discovery;
• translational research; and
• a clinical research arena.

Expertise in animal model development and use, translational and clinical research, and biological containment laboratories will also be emphasized. 

Research experiences will form a large component of the training program, with the possibility of completing the degree program with or without a thesis document.  The program is designed to prepare students for careers in infectious disease in government, industry, and academic environments. As an alternative pathway through this 2-3 year program, students may also complete the degree in a shorter time-frame, or through part-time enrollment over the course of 3-4 years. Most courses will be offered as late afternoon or evening classes to accommodate students already employed in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and biomedical arenas. 

The opportunity to perform research in an international setting is also available. 

Admission Requirements

For acceptance to the MS in Infectious Disease, the applicant must have completed a four-year biology or chemistry-based BA or BS degree program, with at least a 3.0 GPA.  Applicants will be expected to have some undergraduate experience in biology, microbiology, immunology, chemistry, biochemistry, and mathematics or other related undergraduate courses.

Acceptance into the program will be determined by a combination of cumulative grade point average (GPA),  GRE/MCAT scores, recommendation letters, and relevant research experiences. Requirements include:

• official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended;
• official copies of entrance test scores and official test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE);
• references from at least three instructors or professionals;
• an application fee of $75, made payable to Drexel University is required for application processing (online application is free);
• International applicants (non-United States citizens) must meet the same requirements for admission as students from the United States. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate the ability to speak, write, and understand the English language by submitting an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or IELTS.

Since a majority of the course work is offered after traditional work hours, the curriculum is well suited to accommodate part-time students who will be maintaining employment during the course of the program. The program is also designed to accommodate undergraduate students who would be interested in pursuing a combined BA/BS-MS degree. 

Visit Drexel University's Graduate Admissions site for additional information regarding specific requirements for applying to the College of Medicine as well as important application dates.

Degree Requirements